Dating of the fall of man into sin?

[Romans922]

What is your view (any supporting arguments would be great) of when the fall happened? Put it another way, what is the length of time between Genesis 2 and Genesis 3? How long were Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before the serpent came to them?

I've heard people say the 6th day, not long after the 7th day, and a long time after the 7th day. What say you?

 

[JennyG]

I've always assumed it's one of those things impossible to know exactly, - and therefore that there must be a good and sufficient reason for our not knowing!
Which is not meant as a rebuke for even wondering about it

---------- Post added at 05:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:33 PM ----------

ouch , I hope you won't be keeping that avatar long, Josh - the poor wee whatever-it-is!

 

[SolaScriptura]

We have no way of knowing how much time elapsed between when Eve was presented to Adam and the Fall. However, it was prior to them having any children.

 

[sastark]

I believe it happened rather quickly and am inclined to think it happened on the 7th Day. Here's some of my reasoning:

Prior to the Fall, Adam and Eve were in perfect communion with God. This means they kept God's Law perfectly. In Gen. 1:28 God commands Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiple." However, it is not until after the Fall that Eve becomes pregnant (Gen. 4:1). This, to me, implies that Adam and Eve did not have time to fulfill God's command due to the Fall following very soon after their creation.

 

[FCC]

I think I would agree with Seth. Given that God commanded Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply" they didn't have a lot of time to wait around! Otherwise there would have been children born before the fall. I vote for the short time period!

 

[Jack K]

Agreed. The point Seth makes is the strongest biblical argument there is, and it suggests (though doesn't prove) a short time period.

 

[Peairtach]

They weren't to get to know their surroundings before they were fruitful and multiplied?

Certainly the Fall was before Eve conceived, and the probation would have been until Eve conceived if Adam hadn't sinned, because Adam was representing his posterity.

Christ's time under a CoW - on the other hand - was His whole life of circa 38 years.

 

[MW]

John Lightfoot, Works, 7:373, 374:

That Adam fell on the very day that he was created, needs not so much dispute about, for it is easy to be proved, — as it needs sorrow and wonder: wonder, that he, placed in so incomparable happiness, and having perfect power to continue in it, should set so light by that happiness, as to pass it off for an apple; and that he should lose that happiness on his first day, when he was able to have kept it all his days; and sorrow, that the noblest of natures, that God had created, should be so soon overthrown, and overthrown so sorely.

I don't agree with all the reasons provided by Dr. Lightfoot, but he makes a valid point when he regards it as highly unlikely that Adam should have kept the Sabbath day and remained unconfirmed.

 

[Pergamum]

I believe it happened rather quickly and am inclined to think it happened on the 7th Day. Here's some of my reasoning:

Prior to the Fall, Adam and Eve were in perfect communion with God. This means they kept God's Law perfectly. In Gen. 1:28 God commands Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiple." However, it is not until after the Fall that Eve becomes pregnant (Gen. 4:1). This, to me, implies that Adam and Eve did not have time to fulfill God's command due to the Fall following very soon after their creation.

Is it fair to assume that, in a perfect world, pregnancy would result the very first time Adam and Eve enjoyed conjugal relations?

If so, the Fall happening on the 7th Day seems likely lest we conclude that Adam and Eve stayed away from each other for a longer period of time (which seems unlikely since they were given the command to multiply, since they were perfect in health and beauty and since Adam seems quite swept away by Eve).

If we propose periods longer than 1 day, than it seems we run into the question of why Eve did not become pregnant until after the Fall.

If we propose that Adam and Eve hadn't had time to have any sort of sexual relationship prior to the Fall, than we must conclude that there is no instance of sex without sin in all of history and that the Fall and expulsion from the Garden all happened before Adam and Eve enjoyed conjugal relations.